Allentown man charged with fraud in government program

David Unterberg allegedly filed false claims for pay and expenses for conferences he did not attend.

June 25, 2013|By Peter Hall, Of The Morning Call

An Allentown man is charged with defrauding the government in connection with a business that provided federally funded services to the borough of Tamaqua.

David Unterberg, 52, allegedly submitted claims and received reimbursements for wages and expenses related to two conferences he falsely claimed to have attended, according to court documents.

The conferences were paid for by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, court documents say. The charges do not say how much money was involved in the alleged fraud.

At the time, Unterberg was the owner of Community Programs Inc., which administered grant money for Tamaqua under the federal Community Development Block Grant program.

Unterberg is charged in U.S. District Court in Scranton with intentionally making false reports with the intent to defraud HUD, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, probation and a fine.

The investigation was conducted by HUD's office of inspector general and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gurganus.